NCVS_Supporting_Statement_Part B

18

Supporting Statement

B. Collections of Information Employing Statistical Methods

1. Universe and Respondent Selection

National Sample

The potential universe for the NCVS national sample is all persons 12 years of age or older in the more than 110 million households and persons 12 or over living in non-institutional group quarters (except crews of vessels, military in barracks, and those at domestic violence shelters and or living quarters for victims of natural disasters).

Interviewers are able to obtain interviews with 85-87 percent of the household members in 83 percent of the occupied units in sample in any given month. This is an ongoing survey that is in the field 12 months of the year.

From 2016 to 2018 the annual national sample is planned to increase from approximately 105,000 designated addresses located in 542 stratified PSUs throughout the United States in 2016 to 120,000 designated addresses in 542 stratified PSUs in 2018. The sample consists of seven parts, each of which is designated for interview in a given month and again at 6-month intervals.

Every ten years, the NCVS sample is redesigned. In 2015, the 2000 sample design began to be phased out and the 2010 sample design began to be phased in. Although the PSUs did not change in 2015, some of the cases assigned to 2015 interviews were selected from the 2010 design procedures from the Master Address File. Beginning in 2016, some PSUs will be removed from sample, some new PSUs will be added to the sample, and some continuing PSUs that were selected for both the 2000 and 2010 designs will remain in sample. The phase-in and phase-out of the designs will occur from January 2016 through December 2017. As part of the 2010 design, new addresses are selected each year from a master list of addresses based upon the 2010 Decennial Census of Population and Housing and addresses from the United States Postal Service. The new sample sizes are larger than in previous years to support state-level estimates in 22 states. In 2016, approximately 75% of the sample will be drawn from the 2010 design, with the remaining 25% from the 2000 design.

The NCVS uses a rotating sample. The interviewing schedule is provided in Appendix A and the rotation chart is available in the attached forms (NCVS-551). The sample consists of seven groups for each month of enumeration. Each of these groups stays in the sample for an initial interview and six subsequent interviews. During the course of a 6-month period, a full sample of seven rotation groups will be interviewed (one-seventh each month). One rotation group enters the sample for its first interview each month.

Each interview period the interviewer completes or updates the household composition component of the NCVS interview and asks the crime screen questions for each household member 12 years old or older. The interviewer then completes a crime incident report for each reported crime incident identified in the crime screener. Each household member provides the information by self-response. Proxy respondents are allowable under very limited circumstances and represent less than 3% of all interviews. All forms and materials used to the collect the NCVS are attached and are identified in Appendix B.

The first contact with a household is by personal visit and subsequent contacts may be by telephone. For the second through seventh visits, interviews are done by telephone whenever possible. Approximately 54% of the interviews conducted each month are by telephone.

State Samples

From July of 2013 through December of 2015, BJS and Census boosted the existing national sample in the ten largest states in order to test the feasibility, cost, and precision of state-level violent and property crime victimization estimates. The state of New York was also included in the sample boost pilot, but no additional sample was added to that state because it already had enough sample to meet desired levels of precision. Prior research conducted through the NCVS redesign had revealed that by building on existing sample in the largest states, direct state-level 3-year rolling estimates with 10% relative standard error (RSE) could be generated for a reasonable cost. The redesign research also suggested that reallocating and boosting the sample in the eleven largest states, while maintaining the current national sample and consistency of national estimates, would only require a six percent increase in total sample. The pilot boost was designed to test these assumptions.

Initial findings from the pilot sample boost provided information that will be used to update and improve key assumptions for the 2010 sample design. For example, response rates were lower than expected, expected persons per housing unit were lower than expected, and RSEs were larger than expected at the state level. As a result of the sample boost analysis, designated sample sizes for the 2016 to 2018 period were increased to reflect more reasonable assumptions. Preliminary data from the pilot boost also show variation of crime rates and response rates among the eleven pilot states. Of course, findings are still preliminary and more data is needed to precisely measure differences among the states. The pilot boost was also used to develop and test state level sampling, weighting, and variance estimation procedures.

Due to the success of the pilot boost, beginning in January of 2016, BJS and Census will boost the existing national sample in the 22-largest states. The states receiving a sample boost include, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. In each of the 22 states, enough sample will be selected to achieve a relative standard error of 10% for a three year average violent victimization rate of 0.02. Sample sizes in the remaining 28 states and the District of Columbia will be determined based on previous sample sizes. Unlike the 2000 sample design, no strata cross state boundaries and all 50 states and the District of Columbia will have at least one sample PSU.

2. Statistical Methodology

The NCVS is primarily designed to calculate national estimates of crime victimization for the target population - the noninstitutional resident population aged 12 years and older. Beginning in 2016, however, the survey will also be used to calculate state-level estimates of criminal victimization for the 22 largest states in the country. For both the national and state-level estimates, the frame used to reach the target NCVS population is the Census Bureau’s Master Address File (MAF). The MAF contains all addresses from the list of addresses of all living quarters in the U.S. compiled from the most recent decennial census plus updates from the United States Postal Service, state and local address lists, and listings to improve MAF coverage.

Sample selection for the NCVS has three stages: the selection of primary sampling units or areas known as PSUs, the selection of address units in sample PSUs, and the determination of persons and households to be included in the sample.

Survey estimates are derived from a stratified, multi-stage cluster sample. The PSUs composing the first stage of the sample are formed from counties or groups of adjacent counties based upon data from the decennial census and the American Community Survey. The larger PSUs are included in the sample automatically and are considered to be self-representing (SR) since all of them are selected with certainty. The remaining PSUs, called non self-representing (NSR), because only a subset of them are selected, are combined into strata by grouping PSUs. For the NCVS, decennial census counts, American Community Survey estimates, and administrative crime data drawn from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program are also used to stratify the PSUs.

SAMPLING

Stage 1. Defining and Selection of PSUs:

Defining PSUs - Formation of PSUs begins with listing counties and independent cities in the target area. For the NCVS, the target area is the entire country. The counties are either grouped with one or more contiguous counties to form PSUs or are PSUs all by themselves. The groupings are based on certain characteristics such as total land area, current and projected population counts, large metropolitan areas, and potential natural barriers such as rivers and mountains. The resulting county groupings are called PSUs.

After the PSUs are formed, the large PSUs and those in large urban areas are designated SR. The smaller PSUs are designated NSR. Determining which PSUs are considered small and which are large depends on the survey’s SR population cutoff, whether estimates are desired for the state, and the size of the MSA that contains the PSU.

Stratifying PSUs - The NSR PSUs are grouped with similar NSR PSUs within state to form strata. Each SR PSU forms its own stratum. The data used for grouping the PSUs consist of decennial census demographic data, American Community Survey data, and administrative crime data. As was stated earlier, NSR PSUs are grouped to be as similar or homogeneous as possible. Just as the SR PSUs must be large enough to support a full workload so must each NSR strata be of that size. The most efficient stratification scheme is determined by minimizing the between PSU variance and the within PSU variance.

Selecting PSUs - The SR PSUs are automatically selected for sample or “selected with certainty.” One NSR PSU is selected from each stratum. The NSR PSUs are sampled with probability proportional to the population size using a linear programming algorithm. Historically, PSUs have been defined, stratified, and selected once every ten years.

Stage 2. Preparing Frames and Sampling within PSUs

Frame Determination - To ensure adequate coverage for the target population, the Census Bureau defines and selects sample from address lists called frames. The 2000 and 2010 sample designs use different frame systems. The 2000 design sample was selected from four frames: a unit frame, an area frame, a group quarters frame, and a new construction or permit frame. The 2010 design sample was selected from a unit frame and a group quarters frame.

In the 2000 design, each address in the country was assigned to one and only one of the four frames. Frame assignment depended on four factors:

1. what type of living quarters are at the address

2. when the living quarters were built,

3. where the living quarters were built, and

4. how completely the street address was listed.

The main distinction between the frames is the procedures used to obtain the sample addresses.

In the 2010 design, each address in the country was assigned to the unit or group quarters frame based on the type of living quarter. Two types of living quarters are defined in the decennial census. The first type is a housing unit. A housing unit (HU) is a group of rooms or a single room occupied as separate living quarters or intended for occupancy as separate living quarters. A housing unit may be occupied by a family or one person, as well as by two or more unrelated persons who share the living quarters.

The second type of living quarters is group quarters (GQ). Group quarters are living quarters where residents share common facilities or receive formally authorized care. About 3% of the population counted in the 2010 census resided in group quarters. Of those, less than half resided in non-institutionalized group quarters.

Within-PSU Sampling - All addresses for the Census Bureau’s continuing demographic surveys, such as the NCVS, are sampled together. This takes advantage of updates from the January MAF delivery and American Community Survey data. In the 2010 sample design, about 28.6% of the housing unit sample is selected every year; although 75% of the cases selected for 2016 interviews were selected in 2014 and 2015 as part of the 2010 sample design. The GQ sample is selected every three years. Selection of samples is done one survey at a time (sequentially). Each survey determines how the unit addresses within the frame should be sorted prior to sampling. For the NCVS, each frame is sorted by geographic variables. A systematic sampling procedure is used to select addresses from each frame. A skeleton sample is also selected in every PSU. Every six months new addresses on the MAF are matched to the skeleton frame. The skeleton frame allows the sample to be refreshed with new addresses and thereby reduces the risk of under-coverage errors due to an outdated frame.

Addresses selected for a survey are removed from the frames, leaving an unbiased or clean universe behind for the next survey that is subsequently sampled. By leaving a clean universe for the next survey, duplication of addresses between surveys is avoided. This is done to help preserve response rates by insuring no unit falls into more than one survey sample.

Stage 3: Sample within Sample Addresses

The last stage of sampling is done during initial contact of the sample address during the data collection phase. For the NCVS, if the address is a residence and the occupants agree to participate, then every person aged 12 or older who lives at the resident address is interviewed. There are procedures to determine who lives in the sample unit and a household roster is completed with their name and other demographic information. If someone moves out (in) during the interviewing cycle, they are removed from (added to) the roster.

DATA COLLECTION

Each housing unit selected for the NCVS remains in the sample for three years, with each of seven interviews taking place at 6-month intervals. Respondents are asked to report crime experiences occurring in the six months preceding the month of interview. The NCVS-1 screener survey is asked of all respondents age 12 years old older and used to ascertain whether the respondent has experienced a personal crime victimization during the prior six months and is then eligible to be administered the NCVS-2 crime incident report. The NCVS-1 collects the basic information needed to determine whether the respondent experienced a victimization within the scope of the survey (rape or other sexual assault, robbery, assault, personal larceny, burglary, motor vehicle theft, or other household theft). When a respondent reports an eligible personal victimization, the NCVS-2 is then administered to collect detailed information about each crime incident that the respondent reported. In each household, one respondent is designated as the head of the household and that head of the household reports about all household property crimes on behalf of the entire household.

3. Maximizing Response Rates

Several steps are taken to encourage response and maximize response rates:

● An advance introductory letter is mailed to sampled households from the Director of the Census Bureau explaining the authority for and purposes of the survey to the household before the interviewer’s visit or call. All introductory letters in English and non-English languages are attached (NCVS 572 letter series).

● Field representatives carry cards and portfolios identifying them as Census Bureau employees.

● The Census Bureau trains the interviewers to obtain respondent cooperation and instructs them to make repeated attempts to contact respondents and complete all interviews. The interviewer obtains demographic characteristics of noninterview persons and the race of noninterview households for use in the adjustment for nonresponse.

● Potential respondents are assured that their answers will be held in confidence and used only for statistical purposes.

● Senior field representatives may be called in to convert refusals.

As part of their job, interviewers are instructed to keep noninterviews to a minimum. Maintaining a low nonresponse rate involves the interviewer’s ability to enlist cooperation from all kinds of people and to contact households when people are most likely to be home. As part of their initial training, interviewers are exposed to ways in which they can persuade respondents to participate as well as strategies to use to avoid refusals. Furthermore, the office staff makes every effort to help interviewers reduce their noninterviews by suggesting ways to obtain an interview, and by making sure that sample units reported as noninterviews are in fact noninterviews. Also, survey procedures permit sending a letter to a reluctant respondent as soon as a new refusal is reported by the interviewer to encourage their participation and to reiterate the importance of the survey and their response.

In addition to the above procedures used to ensure high participation rates, the Census Bureau implements additional performance measures for interviewers based on data quality standards. These guidelines include standards pertaining to the appropriate amount of time for the administration of the NCVS-1 and NCVS-2; item non-response and “don’t know” responses; the collection of contact history information; the time of day and month the interview was conducted; and the overall response rates. The Census Bureau continually monitors interviewers to assess whether performance and response rate standards are being met. The Census Bureau also instructs and monitors each Regional Office on taking appropriate corrective actions to assist and discipline field representatives who are not meeting the performance standards.

In 2014, the household weighted response rate for the NCVS was 84 percent and the person response rate was 87 percent. Annually, the Census Bureau conducts complete analyses of nonresponse. For the 2015 and following data collection years, the Census Bureau plans to report nonresponse and response rates, respondent and nonrespondent distribution estimates, and proxy nonresponse bias estimates for various subgroups. Should the analyses reveal evidence of nonresponse bias, BJS will work with the Census Bureau to assess the impact to estimates and ways to adjust the weights accordingly.

Based on the 2014 response rates and assuming a violent crime rate of about 15 crimes per 1,000 persons and a property crime rate of about 120 crimes per 1,000 households, we expect to detect an annual difference of less than 5% in victimization rates at a 95% confidence level. Furthermore, for the 22 largest states, we expect state level estimates of the three year rolling violent crime rate to have a relative standard error of 10% or less.

4. Test of Procedures or Methods

Since July 1993, changes to the survey content, such as the inclusion of questions on hate crime, disability, computer crime, identity theft, and stalking, were either cognitively tested or an expert review of the survey questions was conducted to ensure the wording and sequence of the question items were appropriate.

The Census Bureau, in conjunction with BJS, has developed a series of statistical models that allow for the examination of actual versus anticipated household and personal victimization rates, controlling for other factors that may have an impact on crime rates. The models allow BJS to infer whether changes in victimization rates are real or are a product of methodological changes and need to be adjusted accordingly.

Other changes over the history of the survey that were approved by OMB are detailed in Appendix C.

5. Consultation Information

The Victimization Statistics Unit at BJS takes responsibility for the overall design and management of the activities described in this submission, including developing study protocols, sampling procedures, and questionnaires and overseeing the conduct of the studies and analysis of the data by contractors. BJS is also working with staff at the Census Bureau to coordinate research activities with ongoing NCVS operations. BJS, Census Bureau, and current contractor contacts include:

BJS Staff: all staff located at -- 810 Seventh St., N.W. Washington, DC 20531 William J. Sabol Director (202) 514-1062 Michael Planty Chief, Victimization Statistics Unit (202) 514-9746 Shannan Catalano Statistician (202) 616-3502 Erika Harrell Statistician (202) 307-0758 Lynn Langton Statistician (202) 353-3328 Rachel Morgan Statistician (202) 616-1707 Barbara Oudekerk Statistician (202) 616-3904 Jessica Stroop Statistician (202) 616-2605 Jennifer Truman Statistician (202) 514-5083

Census Staff: all staff located at -- 4600 Silver Hill Road Suitland, MD 20746 Meagan Meuchel NCVS Survey Director Associate Directorate for Demographic Programs 301-763-6593 Jill Harbison NCVS Assistant Survey Director Associate Directorate for Demographic Programs 301-763-4285 David Watt Crime Surveys Programming and Population Support Branch Chief Demographic Surveys Division 301-763-5447 Timothy Kennel Lead Scientist Demographic Statistical Methods Division 301-763-6795 Timothy Gilbert Survey Statistician Associate Directorate for Demographic Programs 301-763-5436

Appendix A

NCVS Interviewing Schedule

Frequency of Data Collection

J

F

M

A

M

J

J

A

S

O

N

D

1/6 of sample

X

X

1/6 of sample

X

X

1/6 of sample

X

X

1/6 of sample

X

X

1/6 of sample

X

X

1/6 of sample

X

X

Appendix B

NCVS Forms

Forms Used with All Sampled Households¹

(completed by interviewers in-person or on the phone)

Form Number	Title	Description	Frequency
NCVS-500	Control Card	“Control Card” Lists a roster of all persons living in the household with ages and other characteristics to help interviewer determine who should be interviewed.	Monthly (2x/yr per household)
NCVS-1	Basic Screen Questionnaire	“Screener” Screens for crime incidents.	Monthly (2x/yr per household)
NCVS-1(SP)	Spanish Basic Screen Questionnaire	“Spanish Screener” Spanish translation of NCVS-1.	Monthly (2x/yr per household)
NCVS-2	Incident Report	“Incident Report” Collect detailed information about each incident identified in the screener	Monthly (2x/yr per household)
NCVS-2(SP)	Crime Incident Report	“Spanish Incident Report” Spanish translation of the Incident Report.	Monthly (2x/yr per household)

Forms Used with Some Households²

(completed by interviewers in-person or on the phone)

Form Number	Title	Description	Frequency
NCVS-541	Reinterview Basic Screen Questionnaire	“Reinterview screener” Used by field supervisors to evaluate the performance of a sample of field representatives.	As needed

Forms Used with Some Households

(Standard forms used by interviewers upon request to provide more information)

NCVS-110	NCVS Fact Sheet	“Fact Sheet” This is a brochure for the field representatives to give to respondents if they have questions about the NCVS.	As needed
NCVS-550.1	NCVS At A Glance	“At A Glance” This pamphlet contains survey information, NCVS concepts and definitions, as well as a list of FAQs	As needed
NCVS-554	Field Representatives Information Card Booklet	“FR Booklet” Contains answers to response categories that may need further explanation.	As needed

Forms Used by the Field Representatives

(Interviewing Manuals and Training Materials)

Form Number	Title	Description	Frequency
NCVS-550	NCVS CAPI Interviewing Manual for Field Representatives	“NCVS Manual” Contains the NCVS Procedures and Instructions for conducting interviews and navigating through the CAPI instrument.	As needed
NCVS-521	NCVS CAPI Blaise Self-Study for New NCVS Field Representatives	“Self-Study Training Guide” Self-Study for Field Representatives to be completed prior to attending the classroom training.	As needed
NCVS-522(I)	NCVS CAPI Classroom Training Guide for NCVS Field Representatives	“Trainer’s Guide” The classroom training guide used by the trainer.	As needed

Forms Used by the Field Representatives – (continued)

Form Number	Title	Description	Frequency
NCVS-522.1	NCVS CAPI Blaise Initial Training Classroom Workbook	“Classroom Workbook” Workbook used during classroom training.	As needed
NCVS-546	NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Manual	“NCVS Reinterview Manual” Contains the Procedures and Instructions for conducting the reinterview process (quality control) and navigating through the CAPI reinterview instrument.	As needed
NCVS-547	NCVS CAPI Reinterview – Reinterviewer’s Self-Study	“Self-Study Guide for NCVS Reinterview” Self-Study for the Reinterview process.	As needed
NCVS-570	NCVS RO Manual	Regional office manual for performance guidelines	As needed

Forms mailed as Letters

NCVS-572(L)	Introductory letter	“Introductory letter” Introductory letter mailed to households prior to data collection.	Incoming households
NCVS-572(L)SP	Spanish Introductory letter	“Spanish Introductory letter” Spanish translation of the introductory letter mailed to households prior to data collection.	Incoming households
NCVS-572(L)CHIN-S	Chinese (Simplified) Introductory letter	“Chinese (Simplified) Introductory letter” Chinese (simplified) translation of the introductory letter mailed to households prior to data collection.	Incoming households
NCVS-572(L)CHIN-T	Chinese (Traditional) Introductory letter	“Chinese (Traditional) Introductory letter” Chinese (traditional) translation of the introductory letter mailed to households prior to data collection.	Incoming households

NCVS-572(L)KOR	Korean Introductory letter	“Korean Introductory letter” Korean translation of the introductory letter mailed to households prior to data collection.	Incoming households
NCVS-572(L)VIET	Vietnamese Introductory letter	“Vietnamese Introductory letter” Vietnamese translation of the introductory letter mailed to households prior to data collection.	Incoming households
NCVS-573(L)	Follow-up letter	“Follow-up letter” Letter sent to households in rotations 2-7 and includes Frequently Asked Questions about the NCVS.	Monthly (2x/yr per household)
NCVS-573(L)SP	Spanish Follow-up letter	“Spanish Follow-up letter” Spanish translation of the letter sent to households in rotations 2-7 and includes Frequently Asked Questions about the NCVS.	Monthly (2x/yr per household)
NCVS-593(L)	Thank-you letter	“Thank-you letter” Letter sent to households that completed an interview.	Monthly (2x/yr per household)
NCVS-593(L)SP	Spanish thank-you letter	“Spanish Thank-you letter” Spanish translation of the thank-you letter.	Monthly (2x/yr per household)
NCVS-594(L)	Final letter	“Final letter” Final letter sent to thank households after the 7th enumeration period.	Outgoing households
NCVS-594(L)SP	Spanish final letter	“Spanish Final letter” Spanish translation of the final letter.	Outgoing households

Appendix C

OMB approved revisions and supplements to the NCVS

1999-2000

The NCVS has been used as the vehicle for developing questions to obtain information about a variety of initiatives related to crime and crime victimization. In 1999, a set of questions was added to the survey to obtain information about hate crime victimization. In 2000, in response to a Congressional mandate, questions were added on a test basis to collect information about the victimization of people with developmental disabilities. The Census Bureau, in conjunction with BJS, developed questions to collect this information as part of the NCVS beginning in July 2000. Also, beginning in July 2000, questions pertaining to the respondent's lifestyle and home protection were removed from the NCVS to enable adding the disability questions without increasing respondent burden.

2001

Per Executive Order 13221 signed by the President on October 16, 2001, BJS worked to develop questions designed to elicit information from NCVS respondents about the vulnerability to as well as occurrences of computer related crime. With the ever-expanding growth and use of the Internet, including a rapid growth of Internet related commerce, there is growing concern about vulnerability of people to a variety of offenses related to its use. Such offenses include attacks by computer viruses, fraud in purchasing online, threats via email and unrequested lewd or pornographic emails.

In addition to adding the computer crime questions to the NCVS, BJS requested implementation of revised employment questions and the expansion of the victim-offender relationship answer categories on the NCVS-2, Crime Incident Report. The new employment questions are used to obtain more detailed information about the industry and occupation of employed respondents who were victims of crime. The revised answer categories for the victim-offender relationship questions provide more detailed information about employee-employer type relationships of victims to their offenders.

2003

In January of 2003, BJS directed implementation of several changes to data collected from the NCVS-500 Control Card and the NCVS-1 Basic Screen Questionnaire for the NCVS in order to comply with the OMB’s new guidelines for collecting data on race and ethnicity from the respondent. These changes included:

• Replacing the existing single-response race question with a multiple-response race question and allowing a maximum of four categories (races) to be selected by the respondent.

• Incorporating revised race answer categories for the race question.

• Modifying the question wording of the current ethnicity question.

• Asking the ethnicity question prior to the race question, rather than after the race question.

At the request of BJS, in 2003 the Census Bureau replaced the education questions, “Education-highest grade” and “Education-complete that year?” with a single question that asks about “Education-highest grade completed?” This new question included expanded answer categories for the 12^th grade high school educational level and higher educational degrees as well.

2004

In January 2004, two new questions were added to determine if a sample unit is located within a gated/walled or restricted access community. Also, at this time, two new questions were added to the crime incident report to collect information about the number of guns stolen and number of other firearms stolen.

Because small sample sized limited the utility and reliability of the computer crime data, in July 2004, the computer crime questions were removed from the survey and household identity theft question were added. These questions on use or unauthorized use of credit cards, existing accounts, or personal information were added to the NCVS-1, Basic Screen Questionnaire in an effort to measure the level and change in identity theft victimization among households over time.

2005

As research shows that pregnant women may be at a higher risk of being a victim of violent crime, in July 2005 a question was added to the NCVS crime incident report to determine the pregnancy status, of all female respondents age 18 to 49, at the time the incident occurred.

2007

In January 2007 BJS modified questions regarding respondent disabilities, in order to match the set of disability questions asked on the American Community Survey (ACS). BJS also modified the response category to the NCVS-2 question about the relationship of the offender to the respondent by adding the category “Teacher/School staff.”

2008

When BJS conducted the first Identity Theft Supplement from January-June 2008, the set of questions on identity theft from the NCVS-1 screener were removed for that period. In addition, changes were made to the set of questions regarding disabilities based on changes implemented in the ACS.

In July 2008 the set of questions dealing with Identity Theft from the NCVS-1 screener question section were revised and reinserted into the NCVS-1. Additionally, a set of questions pertaining to the emotional and psychological impact of victimization and victim help-seeking behaviors was added to the NCVS-2. This set of questions was originally asked as part of the ITS.

To offset any respondent burden added by the inclusion of the emotional toll questions, the set of questions involving vandalism and hate-motivated vandalism were removed at this same time. Small sample sizes limited the utility of the data on vandalism and hate-motivated vandalism.

2010

In October 2010, in order to restore the NCVS’s ability to measure the extent and characteristics of crime and to measure year-to-year change in victimization rates, sample that was removed in 2007 began to be reinstated. The sample reinstatement increased the monthly sample about 26%, from about 8,500 households to about 10,700 households.

2012

In January 2012, BJS revised the set of questions collecting data on the race(s) and ethnicity of offender(s). This modification brought the race of offender questions into compliance with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity. The revised set of questions asks first about the offender(s)’ relationship to the victim, followed by questions about the offender(s)’ gender, age, ethnicity, and race; and finish with questions about gang involvement and drug or alcohol use. There are two modules: one for crimes committed by a lone offender and one for crimes committed by multiple offenders.

In July of 2012, household questions on identify theft were removed from the NCVS-1 screener permanently due to a decision to instead administer a person-level identity theft supplement every other year.

Supplements

The NCVS has been used as the vehicle for a number of supplements to provide additional information about crime and victimization:

• The School Crime Supplement was conducted for the National Center for Education Statistics in 1989 and 1995, and every two years since 1999. The School Crime Supplement was last conducted from January-June of 2015.

• A one-time Workplace Risk Supplement was conducted for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in 2002.

• In 2001, a supplement was added to obtain information about public contacts with the police. This supplement, which has been used to inform the nation on the subject of racial profiling in traffic stops, is conducted every three years and was last conducted from July-December of 2011.

• A supplement to examine stalking behaviors was implemented in January-June, 2006.

• An Identity Theft Supplement (ITS) was conducted from January-June 2008 to measure the prevalence and economic cost of Identity Theft. The ITS was revised after the first implementation and will be conducted every two years beginning in July-December of 2012.

1 In July 2006, the NCVS was fully automated and, as such, paper forms are no longer used to complete the survey.

2 In July 2006, the NCVS was fully automated and, paper forms are no longer used to complete the survey.